Most modern vehicles have rigid roof structures that permanently extend over and cover a passenger compartment. Manufacturers also provide a variety of designs that offer the vehicle operator the opportunity to partially or completely uncover the passenger compartment. Sunroofs and moonroofs are a few of the simplest designs to implement and offer the opportunity to open a portion of the vehicle roof for increased airflow. Designs of greater complexity allow the entire roof structure to be retracted and stored behind the passenger compartment.
Retractable roof, or convertible top, designs generally fall into two categories. The most common type of retractable roof design is a convertible soft-top. The convertible soft-top design includes an articulating structural framework with a flexible cloth or plastic outer skin. In an extended position, the front end of the articulating framework connects to a header above the vehicle windshield and the outer skin extends over the passenger compartment. When retracted, the articulating framework, along with the outer skin, folds into a compact shape for storage behind the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
Another retractable roof design is a retractable hardtop roof system. Retractable hardtops consist of one or more rigid roof elements or panels that are mechanically articulated such that they can be repositioned into a storage volume behind the passenger compartment. Because the retractable hardtop consists of rigid panels, the system can provide a much closer approximation of a traditional rigid roof structure. In the extended position, a retractable hardtop securely covers and seals the passenger compartment, giving the appearance of a permanent roof. A retractable hardtop is effective in sealing, securing, and reducing noise within the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
Most modern retractable hardtop designs consist of two or more articulatable panels that are automatically folded or stacked in the storage volume. In one design, referred to as a “clamshell” design, the roof structure is divided into a front panel and a rear panel. The front and rear panels are pivotably interconnected and the rear panel is pivotably connected to a support structure behind the passenger compartment. Examples of clamshell type retractable hardtop designs are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,104 to Neubrand, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,375 to Alexander et al.
In a clamshell design, the front and rear panels have both an inner and an outer surface, with the outer surfaces cooperating to form the outer surface of the roof structure when in the extended position. When retracted, the front panel folds to bring the inner surface of the front panel towards the inner surface of the rear panel, and both panels are together positioned within the storage volume. Often, a deck lid of the vehicle articulates into an out-of-the-way position to allow the front and rear panels to move into a position in the trunk. The deck lid is then repositioned to cover the front and rear panels.
An alternative design, which provides improved storage efficiency, may be referred to as a “stacking” design. Again, the roof is divided into two or more panels. However, when the hardtop is retracted, the roof panels are stacked such that the inner surface of one panel is adjacent to the outer surface of another panel. Because each panel typically has a concave inner surface and a convex outer surface, placing the inner surface of one panel next to the outer surface of another often results in efficient space utilization. Examples of stacking retractable hardtop designs are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,673 to Rothe et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,793 to Rapin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,560 to Rothe, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,970 to Rothe et al.
In both the stacking and clamshell designs, at least one latch assembly is typically provided to secure or latch the panels with respect to each other to provide an airtight and watertight seal and to increase the structural rigidity of the roof structure. Typical latch assemblies include a plurality of switches operable to indicate the state of engagement of the latch mechanism.